What is Accord?

Accord is a wide coalition of organisations, including religious groups, humanists, trade unions and human rights campaigners. We share a common view on many issues to do with state-funded schools and believe that the current legislation on faith schools in particular is counter-productive.

We campaign to make admissions and recruitment policies in all state-funded schools free from discrimination on grounds of religion or belief.

We want schools to follow an objective, fair and balanced syllabus for education about religious and non-religious beliefs.

We want accountability under a single inspection regime for Religious Education, Personal, Social & Health (PSHE) education and Citizenship.

We believe all schools should provide their pupils with inclusive, inspiring and stimulating assemblies in place of compulsory acts of worship.

Two more position papers published

November 23, 2012

The Accord Coalition has produced two more position papers, which offer further information about its main campaign objectives. The new papers set out Accord’s vision for the teaching of values and beliefs in schools, and how schools can advance an inclusive ethos. The papers join four that have already been published, which address the topics of school assemblies, the curriculum, and employment and admissions policies at faith schools.

Chair of the Accord Coalition, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romains said, ‘Public debate around the role of religion in education can be vexatious, and often suffers from people arguing from entrenched positions. Accord enters the debate based on both solid evidence and the shared values of its supporters. The new papers provide readers with a more nuanced upstanding of Accord’s concerns, and further demonstrate the coherence of the range of positive proposals for reform it advocates’.